There is a lot going on in our lives right now. I am sure that our dinner table is a lot like yours and the conversation’s have been a lot alike.
What if we don’t find land?
What if we build a building and we can’t pay for it?
What if more people stop giving and we can’t afford to pay our bills?
How different is our life going to be when we start this new church?
Will we ever find Godly men who are willing to shepherd this flock?
What is going to happen to…
I would be lying if I told you that I am not the least bit concerned about how we handle the Lord’s business. In my concern I have been looking to churches that I feel are successful trying to figure out what do I as the Pulpit minister, and member of this church. What are the ministries that we need to be involved in, what are the Bible classes that are being taught that will help us Grow the most, what sermons need to be preached from this pulpit that will best fulfill the Lord’s commands of growing His kingdom. And then it hit me.
Today I want you to use your Bible and read along with me as we notice a very strange characteristic of our Lord.
The first one is found in Matthew 9:27-30:
And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, and saying, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" And after He had come into the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said^ to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said^ to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He touched their eyes, saying, "Be it done to you according to your faith." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See here, let no one know about this!"
I want you to notice not so much that Jesus healed two Blind men or even the fact that he told them to keep their silence but I want you to notice HOW he did it. He reached out and touched their eyes.
Now if you would turn with me to Mark 8:22-25.
They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
Now how did Jesus heal this Blind man? Jesus didn’t just touch his eyes but he spit on the men’s eyes. Now I don’t know if he spit on His fingers and then touched the man or if he was standing 10 feet away, but notice the way in which this man was healed.
Turn to Luke 18:35- 43.
And it came about that as He was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging. Now hearing a multitude going by, he began to inquire what this might be. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he called out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he had come near, He questioned him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And he said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!" And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he regained his sight, and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.
Once again we see Jesus healing a blind man but this time HE doesn’t touch the man or spit on the man this time he just speaks and the man has his sight.
Let’s look at one more healing of the Blind. This one is found in John 9:1-7.
And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him. "We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work. "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). And so he went away and washed, and came back seeing.
Now you will quickly notice that this is the fourth Gospel, The fourth healing of the same disease, and the fourth different way that Jesus has healed. This time he doesn’t just speak, He doesn’t just touch, He doesn’t just spit, this time he makes mud out of the clay applies it to the eyes of the man and has him go and was in the pool of Siloam.
Brethren we serve a God who accomplished the same miracle in four different ways. Why do you think that was? Now I have been told that it was because of the faith level in those whom he was healing. But if faith was required on the behalf of those being healed how much faith did the Widow of Nain’s son have when he was raised from the dead?
I believe God treated every healing differently because there are no formulas with God.
Take Joshua and the battle of Jericho in Joshua 6:2-5.
And the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. "And you shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. "Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. "And it shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead."
The plan went flawlessly and the Children of Israel had their first victory in the Promised Land but I want you to notice that we never see God using this battle plan again.
Then in Judges Chapter 7 while Gideon leads the Children of Israel against the Midianites, we see a different battle plan with the same results. God had Gideon reduce his army not once but twice.
Let’s read from Judges 7:2-7.
And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, lest Israel become boastful, saying, ’My own power has delivered me.’ "Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ’Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’" So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained. Then the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ’This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ’This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go." So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink." Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home."
Once again it was not the way I would have drawn up battle plans, 300 men horns, torches, and pitchers. But God prevailed. And then God never used this battle plan again.
Are you beginning to see a patter here? If not. Let’s look at one more instance. Turn to 2 Samuel 5:17-20.
When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard of it, he went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. Then David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Wilt Thou give them into my hand?" And the LORD said to David, "Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand." So David came to Baal-perazim, and defeated them there; and he said, "The LORD has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters." Therefore he named that place Baal-perazim.
Here we see God telling David to take the Philistines Head on, but go down two verses further.
Read 2 Samuel 5:22-25.
Now the Philistines came up once again and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. And when David inquired of the LORD, He said, "You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the balsam trees. "And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then the LORD will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines." Then David did so, just as the LORD had commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.
Same place different strategy same results.
Brethren we need to understand that if this church wants to be pleasing to God and therefore successful we have got to start relying on the counsel of God. We have got to hand our questions and fears over to Him. God does not always work in the same way. It was true in the Bible and it is true now. Just because it was done this way 40 years ago or 40 days ago doesn’t mean this is God’s plan for us now. And just because this is that way that they grew the church at Campus does not mean this is the plan God has for this family. God wants to change our lives and our Church. He wants us to fight the battle His way, but the biggest question is what is His way.
I believe that all of us have the ability to know God intimately and to follow Him completely. But the question is how do we get from our worldly nature to a life that shows the fruit that the Spirit is producing in our lives. If you will allow me to close today with this illustration.
In my hand I have a glass. Now we know enough about physical science to know that this glass is filled with air. The question we need to figure out is how do we get the air out?
We can use a vacuum to suck the air out but the vacuum would probably destroy the glass. So there has God to be a better way.
The way we get all of the air out of this glass is by replacing it with something else like water. By now I am sure that you get the application. We are the Glass and the air represents all of our worry, concern, and preconceived notions on how God desires for us to take this journey of Faith. In reality we need to spend some serious time in prayer, that God will fill us up with His will, His ideas, and His grace.
